The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1887-11-10
A NARROW ESCAPE.

used TO call the COwsV
George Cooper. y Democratic Monthly.
A NARROW ESCAPE.
My Pretty Cousin, Her Lover and
Miss Blanch Bernard.
Miss Blanch Bernard had lovely hair,
wavy. plentiful. golden, with those pc
culiarly beautiful lights which Giorgi-
one and Titan have made immortal,
glmmering and sparkling through its
lnxnriant waves. Miss Blanch was BY
no means regulation beauty. but the
shape of her head was classical, her
eyes large and lustrious, her teeth
white and regular, and her form could
BE- described but by one word-perfec-
ton. Yet her hair was her piece de re-
sistance-how many men have raved
over its splendor and lost their hearts
in its golden depths! One l have spec
ial cause to remember because he had
engaged himself to my cousin, pretty.
lovable little thing, before Miss Ber-
nard's golden locks dawned upon him
and tangled him in their bewildering
meshcs.
Miss Bernard had other attractions
besides golden hair, lustrous eyes and
milky teeth. She could sing with taste
and feeling, play superbly, dance like
q sylph is supposed to dance, and talk
like-a woman. Still. rs camelias,
which have beauty and dignity. have
no sweetness, and roses. which have
both beauty and fragrance. have
thorns. Miss Bernard had her draw
backs. Some were merely the faults
OF the woman. womanly. and could be
pardoned by lover. She had . trick.
for instance. Of holding one spellbound
by dropping her eyes until her lovely
dark lashes were outlined by her bril-
liant cheeks with pre-Raphaelite dis
tinctness, then lifting her white lids
and flashing the full glory Of her hazel
orbs upon her masculine adorer.
have seen this maneuver practiced
with deadly effect not only by Miss
Bernard. but by scores Of pretty wom-
en-, violet-eyed, hazel-eyed. black-eyed
and gray; but l warn cross
eyed girls. white eyed girls
and girls with white. pig-like
lashes to beware of it. Then, her head
being classical. she invariably wove her
hair after simple and most charming
fashion-coiling its cleaning masses in
heavy. careless knot. This style had
three-fold advantages: first. it was a
delightful contrast to the heads Of
womankind in general. and gave Miss
Bernard distinct aud striking style
Of her own; secondly, it was especially
becoming and eminently calculated to
display to the utmost the beauty of her
shapely head and lovely hair; thirdly.
it had the advantage Of tumbling over
her graceful shouldersin most admired
disorder upon the least provocation.
If Miss Bernard waltzed, her hair had
way Of loosening its cleaning coils;
il she threw back her head and laughed
IA cadenced. musical laugh which of
itself was enough to take captive the
most o5durate and unimpressible Of
member hair showcrel down like y
mist Of gold; il she romped with
Bertha. her year-old niece. down came
her golden fleece. And when lustrous
eyes and dcwy lips sparklcd and smiled
from out this shimmering mass of
tumbled gold. St. Anthony himself
could not have resisted her, ut least for
the first time he should behold the Wis
ion; after he had seen it score of
times. its charm would depart with its
novelty. 1t was this. to me, transpar-
ent trickcry of the falling hair which
was the most potent charm to my
cousins lover. Being the sworn cham
pion Of womankind. will not insinu-
ate that all ladies with luxuriant tress-
es allow them to tumble about in this
promiscuous ashton.
Miss Bernard's thorns were Of a
more pronounced character than the
varieties ! nave recounterd. II her
eyes were flashing and fiery. 50 was
her temper, nd, though her lips could
smile sweetly, she had, like Petrucio's
Kate, "a tongue with q tang within
her dewy roses. As Just and trust
full racontcuy l must testify that
always found her tongue velvety and
the temper sweet as milk and honey.
but my cousins lover discovered the
volcanic nature Of her temper on one,
to him, memorable occasion. Cla,.
encc was frank, merry. good-looking
young fellow, whose personal attrac-
tions were intensified by fortune OF
some hundreds Of thousands OF dollars.
He was an part pris. and Miss Bern
ard k ew it. Miss Bernard had pas
sion for young men with money,
while Clarence had passion for
naturalness in women, personal and
otherwise, and thought Miss Bernard
was the most ingenious. as she was
the loycliest and most fascinating, Of
girls.
lie came into my room one night
with face pale and troubled.
'Fred," he said. Il have a confes-
sion to make. and want your advice
and sympathy--no. your sympathy
have no right to claim. but ! believe
your counsel will be good and worth
following"
Il am fattored by your opinion"
returned, laying aside the book ! was
reading. What is your troublep"
You know l am engaged to Bessie"
Bessie is my pretty little cousin.
Yes" 1 answered. laconically.
And you know-you know The
hcsitatcd and colored.
Il know a great many things, but
not this special thing you are going To
tell me.